The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“Working on Roobi has taught me how to bounce back from failures, and that problems need to be addressed one bit at a time because you can't just tackle huge goals. I learned to not be afraid of failure because every failure is a step towards success. I try not to look back and wish I could change something because I can't. It's the past. Instead, I look forward," senior Daniel Dorfman said.
Humans of Harker: Steeped for success
“With volleyball and Medical Club, I love working with people. I get to work with people who aren't necessarily in my classes or aren't my friends specifically, but we get to work hard and work together towards a common goal. That collaboration aspect is really important to me," senior Navya Samuel said.
Humans of Harker: Cooperation through competition
“Human connection is very important to staying grounded and stable. The people around me are one of the reasons that I'm not fully burnt out, so I really prioritize keeping a good schedule for myself. Being able to prioritize the things in life that give me internal satisfaction is important to me because that's what allows me to have the drive to do good with the rest of my time. Talking to people is a way for me to replenish," senior Kashish Priyam said.
Humans of Harker: Pep in every step
“It's very important to make sure the people in your life know they're important to you. Whether that's doing small acts of kindness or just being there whenever they need you, having a really strong support system is what gets you through life, and it's a really valuable life skill to have," Sofie Marino (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Pillar of support
“My karate teachers emphasize that as black belts, we should be living up to the standard of our rank and acting as an example for the students who are lower-ranked.' When I’m helping out and someone messes up, I don't necessarily say, ‘You did this wrong, try to do this.’ I take a more relaxed approach and act out what they did a little comically. It's finding the balance between being strict and being more playful with the students," senior Claire Perng said.
Humans of Harker: Playing with purpose
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: For the future and the present
“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so," Daniel Wang ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Kaity Gee

Kaity Gee, Wingspan Assistant Editor-In-Chief

Kaity Gee (12) is the assistant Editor in Chief of Wingspan. Serving as a reporter for TALONWP freshman year, Kaity has written pieces for Winged Post and TALONWP, in addition to broadcast videos. She’s won multiple awards including CSPA’s Gold Circle award for Broadcast and Graphic Design; Honorable Mention and 2nd place nationally, respectably. She has also placed 2nd in the National Federation of Press Woman’s Feature Category for her piece on eating disorders. Her favorite part of journalism is reporting on the Harker community, which she has been a part of Kindergarten. Outside of school, Kaity is a published poet and a company member with Pacific Ballet Academy and has danced classical and contemporary ballet with the Joffrey Ballet in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys reading and creative writing. She is also captain of the Spoken Word Club and loves attending slams and writing spoken word poetry.

All content by Kaity Gee
A cheerful therapy dog comforts a student at the Edge last year. ​Student council plans to continue the tradition of bringing in therapy dogs to relieve student stress.

Student council aims to relieve final exam-induced student stress

by Prameela Kottapalli, Reporter
May 25, 2016
“Everything is Rosie” at the spring musical, “Bye Bye Birdie”

“Everything is Rosie” at the spring musical, “Bye Bye Birdie”

by Kaity Gee, Kaitlin Hsu, and Maya Kumar
May 5, 2016
An exploration and explication of #swag

An exploration and explication of #swag

by Kaity Gee, Wingspan Asst. Editor-in-Chief
April 13, 2016
Even amidst the commotion of springtime, it is important to balance work to avoid burning out by the end of the year.

Navigating through the spring: Moderation is key to balancing our work and wellness during this time of year

March 24, 2016
Creative Commons

The lament of the rainboots

by Kaity Gee, Wingspan Asst. Editor-in-Chief
March 11, 2016
David Bowie lost the battle against cancer on Jan. 10 in Manhattan, New York. As an influential singer-songwriter and innovator, Bowie globally impacted popular music, style and art.

World mourns artistic legends

by Raveena Kapatkar and Nisha Shankar
January 27, 2016
Learning to value kindness over genius

Learning to value kindness over genius

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Multimedia Editor
May 14, 2015
Aditya Dhar (10) and Kayvon Solaimanpour (10) sing during this year's Spring Musical. The "Into the Woods" cast will perform in Edinburgh this summer.

Caroline Howells (12) sings in this year's Spring Musical. The "Into the Woods" cast will perform in Edinburgh this summer.

Melina Nakos has already directed one film and is on course to take her achievements to the next level. Filmmaking allows her to make an impact on society.

Did you know: Melina Nakos’s filmmaking journey

by Sharanya Balaji, Aquila Asst. Multimedia Editor
April 11, 2015
Erika Olsen (12) smiles as Meilan Steimle (10) asks her a question. Erika is both a dancer and cheerleader at Harker.

Keller’s Corner – 3/12

by Meilan Steimle and Kaity Gee
March 12, 2015
Many mobile apps can health track fitness. By monitoring various metrics such as exercise quality and food intake, such apps can help individuals monitor their health.

Mobile apps to help exercise

by Kaity Gee
January 16, 2015
ASB President Sarah Bean (12) welcomes the school to today's school meeting. Today's meeting featured a few short announcements and was followed by performances from Guys Gig and the Brown Derbies.

School meeting recap – 1/12

by Maya Jeyendran, Aquila Lifestyle Editor
January 13, 2015

Harker Hosts A Capella Assembly

by Kaity Gee, Multimedia Editor
January 12, 2015

Storm reaches the Bay Area

by Anokhi Saklecha, Winged Post Global Editor
December 11, 2014
(From left to right) Sixties-inspired cuts, oversized coats, sheared jackets, warm knits, capes, and velvet dresses are a must for this season.

Winter fashion trends

by Kaity Gee, Multimedia Editor
December 1, 2014
Evolution of perfect beauty campaigns

Evolution of perfect beauty campaigns

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Multimedia Editor
November 22, 2014
It's time to stop calling women "crazy"

It’s time to stop calling women “crazy”

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Multimedia Editor
November 18, 2014
I'm no kitchen guru. I can't flambee, or am I sure what that means, and I can barely flip an omelette. When I don't burn them.

Read it or Weep: Stop and smell the oregano

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Multimedia Editor
October 31, 2014
Maya Valluru (10) follows through with her backhand. Girls Varsity tennis plays their first game on September 11 against Wilcox High School.

Fall Sports Preview

by Tara Parimi and Kaity Gee
September 1, 2014
The Caffeinated Nation

The Caffeinated Nation

by Kaity Gee, Video/Broadcast Editor
August 29, 2014
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Matriculation Broadcast

by Kaity Gee, Video/Broadcast Editor
August 28, 2014
Mosquitoes cause more human casualties than any other organism-- according to the AMCA (American Mosquito Control Association) over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year.

Five Santa Clara County residents found infected with West Nile Virus

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Video and Broadcast Editor
August 27, 2014
Juniors Shikhar Dixit, Fred Chang, and Sarah Bean wait to be initiated at the Senior Appreciation Assembly as ASB Secretary, Vice President, and President, respectively. New ASB and class councils convened for their first meeting yesterday to discuss ideas for the annual Matriculation skit and plans for the upcoming school year.

New ASB and class councils assemble for their first meeting

by Riya Godbole, Aquila Lifestyle Editor
May 29, 2014
Sophomore and Junior boys prepare for their highly memorable Powderpuff routine of the year.

Looking back on 2014

by Kaity Gee, Multimedia Editor
May 26, 2014
Extra TALON yearbooks flood the journalism room. Last-minute books can be purchased by joining a wait-list, available in the journalism room.

New yearbook reflects program’s changes

by Kaity Gee, Multimedia Editor
May 23, 2014

First annual Senior Appreciation Assembly held

by Vivek Bharadwaj, Reporter
May 22, 2014

DIY: How to fold a hoodie into a laptop case

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Video and Broadcast Editor
May 21, 2014
Read it Or Weep: Loveletter to Dad: From Your Passenger Seat

Read it Or Weep: Loveletter to Dad: From Your Passenger Seat

by Kaity Gee, Video/Broadcast Editor
May 17, 2014
Read it Or Weep: Get Away

Read it Or Weep: Get Away

by Kaity Gee, Assistant Multimedia Editor
May 3, 2014

Therapy Dogs at the Edge

by Kaity Gee, Assistant Multimedia Editor
May 1, 2014
Read it Or Weep: Sweet Sixteen and Petrified

Read it Or Weep: Sweet Sixteen and Petrified

by Kaity Gee, Assistant Multimedia Editor
April 19, 2014

Powderpuff Video

April 16, 2014

Read It Or Weep: An Existential Cupcake Dilemma

by Kaity Gee, Aquila Assistant Multimedia Editor
March 29, 2014

Spring fashion trends

by Shannon Su and Meilan Steimle
March 13, 2014
NextSpot offers a convenient application for connecting users and organizing everyday meetups. Alumni Daanish Jamal ('12) and Adhir Ravipati ('05) started building the app in mid-2013.

Two alumni release NextSpot in the app store

by Kaity Gee and Raveena Kapatkar
March 12, 2014
Read it or Weep: From Pointe Shoes to Crutches

Read it or Weep: From Pointe Shoes to Crutches

by Kaity Gee, Multimedia Editor
March 9, 2014
Read it Or Weep: Saying No to the Say No to Size Zero (Extended Edition)

Read it Or Weep: Saying No to the Say No to Size Zero (Extended Edition)

by Kaity Gee, Asst. Multimedia Editor
March 9, 2014

WiSTEM hosts STEM Fair during long lunch

by Riya Godbole
March 4, 2014
DSC_1229

Athletes of the Month

by Mariam Sulakian, Aquila News Editor
February 6, 2014

Pixels out, resolutions in

by Ayushi Gautam
February 1, 2014
Kevin Moss (12) runs up to play defense. The boys are 3-0-1 on the season.

Varsity boys soccer ties with Lynbrook High School

by Vineet Kosaraju, Reporter
December 22, 2013
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh talks about Herbert Choy, the first Korean American federal judge and her personal inspiration. Koh, herself the first Asian American district judge for Northern California, talked about topics ranging from racial and gender discrimination to media influence to indecent exposure.

District judge speaks to Upper School

by Apoorva Rangan, Reporter
November 1, 2013
Contrary to popular belief, high heels are not a symbol of the sexualization and objectification of women. Ironically, females began wearing heels in the 1630's as an attempt to appropriate masculine power.

Crushing Patriarchy in Five-Inch Heels

by Kaity Gee
September 18, 2013
Luhrmann’s Gatsby: Not so "Great" - 3/5 stars

Luhrmann’s Gatsby: Not so “Great” – 3/5 stars

by Kaity Gee
May 14, 2013
The rainbow flag or ribon is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride or support. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and is used worldwide as a symbol of gay pride in rights marches.

Opinion: Say “yes” to gay marriage

by Kaity Gee
April 4, 2013
Going en pointe is a major life event to any dancer- in a way, it's like stepping closer towards becoming the dream you dreamed a long time ago, towards becoming a sylph in La Sylphide, a swan, or a fairy. It's a step towards becoming something greater than human.

Opinion: Bourréeing to perfection

by Kaity Gee
March 28, 2013
This week, from February 24 through March 2, is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Spanning over all 50 states and 30 other countries, this year’s theme is “Everybody Knows Somebody.”

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week: “Everybody knows somebody”

by Kaity Gee
February 27, 2013
Valentine's Day chocolates topple over one another. In America, couples express their love for one another by gifting presents ranging from chocolates to expensive jewelry.

Celebrations: Valentine’s Day around the globe

by Kaity Gee
February 14, 2013
Show how much you care with these fun and easy to make DIY Valentine's Day gift ideas. Decorate the sides of the box with a short message, poem, or drawing.

DIY: Special Valentine’s Day gift ideas

by Kaity Gee
February 13, 2013
Old newspaper and brown paper shopping bags are a great way to reuse everyday materials as a form of gift-wrapping. A Starbucks “Rekindle” bag and a Tiffany & Co. advertisement from the Wall Street Journal are fashioned into packaging material, ornamented with ribbons, tape, and bows.

Eco-friendly gift-wrapping tips and tricks

by Juhi Gupta and Kaity Gee
December 22, 2012
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